At Orbit World Travel, we strive to stay up to date with the latest news from airlines and airports around the world. View a small section of the latest updates below.
Air New Zealand’s new short-haul Seats to Suit offering is now in effect, bringing with it the end of seat+bag fares and the option to purchase food on short-haul flights. The options now consist of seat, works, worksflexi, premiumeconomy, premiumflexi, businesspremier and businessflexi fares.
The seat-only fares include a snack, as well as tea, coffee, water and juice, full in-flight entertainment, and a carry-on bag. For an extra $40 customers can upgrade to theworks, which also includes one checked bag, a meal and drinks, full gate to gate entertainment and free standard seat selection. The next level is worksflexi fare, which is available on all works fares for an extra $60 and allows customers to make changes without a penalty fee, or cancel their ticket and receive a full refund. Seats to Suit features a focus on flexibility, it also offers enhanced flexibility options for premiumeconomy and businesspremier customers, as there are now options to purchase premiumflexi or businessflexi fares. These are an additional $80 and $120, respectively.
Qantas is introducing a new boarding process for domestic flights in four of the country’s biggest airports to reduce the time customers spend lining up at the gate. The new approach, group boarding, is used by airlines overseas but this is the first time it’s been adopted in Australia. It follows a series of successful trials in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth which found the process helped contribute towards flights departing on time. Group boarding allows customers to board within smaller groups, rather than queuing up with all passengers waiting to board at the same time. Customers will be allocated to one of six boarding groups which will be displayed on their boarding pass. The groups are determined by cabin, Frequent Flyer status and seat position in the aircraft. Signage and announcements at the gate will let customers know when it is their group’s turn to board. Group boarding is being rolled out progressively now at Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and then Sydney Airport for domestic flights operated by Qantas’ Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft.
Passengers aged 10 years and above (previously 12 years) can now use the automated airport eGates on arrival and departure from New Zealand. The move brings New Zealand in line with Australia and the UK. eGate access has also been extended to ePassport holders from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Romania, and Spain. The changes align with the aim to make border processing more seamless and efficient for all international travellers.
Air Napier is making it easier for high-end customers to get around the country, with a new addition to its fleet, a Mustang Jet. The jet flies at more than 30,000 fleet, and can operate to more than 30 airports across the country with routes such as Napier to Queenstown, Blenheim to Kerikeri, or Taupo to Wanaka among those available. The carrier also offers private cars offering transport to/from the jet and between international airports, and private lounge facilities.
Auckland Airport has revealed a series of changes it has made to its domestic terminal to ensure travel remains as easy as possible while the new domestic terminal build is underway. A makeover of the bathrooms is almost finished, along with the addition of a second parent room, separate accessible toilet facilities plus three new gender-neutral toilets. The regional, domestic and Jetstar areas in the terminal will be renamed as Zones A, B and C, with better signage, including above each entrance door. Also getting an upgrade is the ground floor food court, which will feature an improved layout and new outlets serving a greater menu variety, while Hudson’s cafe beyond domestic security screening will be expanded with more space to sit and eat. Auckland Airport also has additional space opening across two levels adjacent to Hudsons. The airport company expects to have this area available to travellers from the first week of the July school holidays.
Christchurch Airport’s terminal is undergoing its first major upgrade since opening in 2013. The work is expected to be completed by December, and includes the addition of 12 new eateries, additional retail spaces, upgraded bathrooms, a new parent’s room, a remodelled food court and a large children’s play area. The new eateries coming include Fush and Tātou, ramen spot Hikari, Mama’s Kitchen (Korean street food) and an upgraded Sushi Platter. The airport has partnered with SSP, which specialises in airport F&B offerings, and it will operate seven outlets at CHC. This includes the bar and restaurant Portal, located where Number 8 café is now, a new café Fern and Co beside the entry to aviation security, a new café Urban Pantry in the regional departure lounge and an all-day café called Discovered in international arrivals. The upgrade includes more self-service kiosks and interactive screens to help future proof the airport and further improve efficiency for all visitors to the terminal.
To celebrate their 15th birthday, Jetstar has announced their plans to significantly grow it’s New Zealand operations, which means more than 240,000 new low fare seats each year.
This new expansion includes:
Stage 1 of the expansion will involve new flights between Christchurch and Cairns, as well as between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast.
Jetstar have also announced that they will increase capacity on key domestic routes, starting with Christchurch to Auckland and Auckland to Wellington routes, and will grow this further over the next 12 months. Christchurch to Melbourne flight times will also be adjusted to improve longhaul connectivity,
A new Jetstar aircraft will be based in Christchurch from December to support this growth.
Jetstar has also been working to improve it’s reliability, stating that over the past 6 months, their cancellations have dropped to around 1% or less, and on average, more than 80% of flights have arrived on time so far this year.
